• (a) Two light hammers or (b) a spear
  
• (a) A hand puppet or (b) a shadow puppet
  
• (a) Scholar's Pack or (b) Entertainer's Pack
  
• Tinker's Tools
  
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4 x 10 gp in funds.
  

When you reach 3rd level, you augment your puppeteer prowess with the ability to cast spells.

Cantrips

You learn three cantrips. You learn another puppeteer cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots

The Arcane Puppeteer Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your puppeteer spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Cause Fear and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Cause Fear using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know three 1st-level puppeteer spells of your choice.

The Spells Known column of the Arcane Puppeteer Spellcasting table shows when you learn more puppeteer spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the puppeteer spells you know with another spell of your choice from the puppeteer spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your puppeteer spells, since you focus your spells through your show. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a puppeteer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charima modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Puppeteer's Strings

At first level, you gain a set of thin, gossamer strings that attach to your fingers. These strings float a few inches from your fingers but can extend up to 30ft. The strings are invisible to all creatures but you and cannot be damaged or destroyed by mundane means. Creatures who can see into the Ethereal Plane can see these strings extend into that plane and any effect that comes from or affects objects on the Ethereal Plane can damage the strings as if they were normal string.

Each string has 1HP and can be targetted by an attack from any creature that can see and affect it, severing the string if it takes damage. If severed, you lose control of any creature bound by your strings and cannot use any Arcane Puppeteer abilities that require strings until they reform at the end of a long rest.

Strings are severed if a creature bound by them is ever more than their extension distance away from you, if damaged by an attack, or if you dismiss them at no action cost.

Arcane Puppet

At first level, you develop the ability to craft Blank Puppets. You can have a number of puppets equal to your profiency modifier at one time. Building a new puppet requires using Tinker's Tools on a long rest and 10gp worth of material.

Costume Trunk

At level two, you can choose two Costumes for your puppets. These are modifiers to the Blank Puppet that you can choose to attach when you finish a long rest. When you finish a long rest, you may choose costumes for each of the puppets you have for that day.

Unwilling Puppet

At level three, you gain the ability to control living creatures as though they’re puppets.

As an action, you can attempt to attach your strings to a living creature within your strings’ maximum distance. The target creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be controlled as an Unwilling puppet.

• A creature who is immune to the Restrained or Charmed conditions has advantage on this save.
• A creature who is Incapacitated has disadvantage on this save.
• A creature that is Unconscious automatically fails this save.
• If you attempt to Unwilling Puppet a creature that is already Restrained, Charmed, or Grappled by another creature or affect, the creature causing the effect can make a contested check against your spellcasting check to defend from your Unwilling puppet. If you succeed, you end the Restrained, Charmed, or Grappled condition on the target and take them as an Unwilling Puppet.
• If another creature attemps to Restrain, Charm, or Grapple a creature you have as your Unwilling Puppet, they can make a contested check against your spellcasting check to oppose your Unwilling Puppet. If they win, your Unwilling Puppet ends and their effect takes hold of the target.

The creature becomes aware that it is being puppeted, but does not gain any special ability to see the strings that puppet it. They can remake the saving throw at the end of each of their turns.

While controlling an Unwilling Puppet, you can use your action to have your Unwilling Puppet expend one of its attacks, if it has multiple, on a target within its reach.

While controlling an Unwilling Puppet, you can use your bonus action to have your Unwilling Puppet move up to its speed within the maximum distance of your strings. This movement uses the Unwilling Puppet's movement speed but counts as forced movement and cannot move the creature into direct danger.

If your Unwilling Puppet is unconscious, you can use your bonus action to pull them 10ft closer to you. An unconscious puppet cannot otherwise take actions or be moved.

You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest, as long as you have unsevered Strings.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Improved Puppet

At level ten, damage dealt by your puppets is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage.

Improved Control

Strings increase in length. Attacks from puppets count as magical.

Arcane Puppeteer Feature

Capstone Feature

Show of the Craftmaster

While the Magician may be the oldest Show of the Arcane Puppeteer, if any were to claim dedication to the art of the creation of the puppets, it is those who master the Show of the Craftmaster.

Level 2

Level 6

Level 11

Level 17

Show of the Magician

Level 2

Level 6

Level 11

Level 17

Show of the Shadow Play

For as long as there has been light, entertainers have been puppeting the shadows. There is a magic in the absence of the need for a physical body, and a power in the shadows a puppet can cast.

Level 2

Level 6

Level 11

Level 17

Show of the Simulacra

Level 2

At level two, the line between you and your puppet begins to blur. When you Unfold a puppet, you can give it proficiency in the same saving throws as you, adding your proficiency bonus to those rolls.

In addition, at level two, while you control a puppet, you can spend an action to see through its eyes and hear through its ears as if you were in its space. You gain the benefits of any special senses the puppet has. While using the puppet’s senses, you are blind and deaf in regard to your own senses, and any effects that would affect you through your own senses will affect you while in your puppet’s senses (such as a Basilisk or Medusa’s Petrifying Gaze or an area of the Darkness spell).

Level 6

Level 11

Level 17

Become a puppet.